Books: Pinocchio in Africa
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Cherubini >> Pinocchio in Africa
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The monkeys looked straight at him, standing erect and in line
waiting for further orders.
"Ah! you wish to follow me!" said the marionette. "This might suit
your taste, but not mine, thank you! I will give you marching orders.
Then I shall be left in peace."
Accordingly Pinocchio, who was determined to get away from these
annoying beasts, moved two steps forward. The monkeys advanced two
steps also. Then he took three steps to the rear, and the monkeys went
back three steps.
"At - tention!" and facing about quickly, he started to run. All the
monkeys also turned, and began to run in the direction opposite to that
taken by the marionette. Pinocchio, laughing at his own cunning, went
his way, only now and then turning to watch the dark forms as they
disappeared in the distance.
"They all run away in this country," he said to himself, and he too
ran on, fearing that the worthy beasts would return for further
orders.
27. Pinocchio Dreams Again
"IF these people are such cowards that they run at the sound of my
voice, in a few days I shall be master of all Africa. I shall be a
great man. However, this is a country of hunger and thirst and fatigue.
I must find a place where I can rest a little before I begin my career
of conquest."
Fortune now seemed to favor Pinocchio. Not far off he thought he saw
a group of huts at the foot of a hill. He felt that besides getting
rest and shelter, he might also find something to eat. Greedy
marionette!
As he approached he was struck by the strangeness of these
buildings. They looked like little towers topped with domes. He went
along wondering what race of people lived in houses built without
windows or doors. He saw no one, and he was filled with a sort of
fear.
"Shall I go on or not?" he mused. "Perhaps it would be best to call
out, Some one will show me where to go for food and shelter."
"Hello there!" he said in a low voice. No one answered.
"Hello there!" repeated the marionette a little louder. But there
was no answer.
"They are deaf, or asleep, or dead!" concluded the marionette, after
calling out at the top of his voice again and again.
Then he thought it might be a deserted village, and he entered
bravely between the towers. There was no one to be seen. As he
stretched out his tired limbs on the ground he murmured. "Since it is
useless to think of eating, I may at least rest." And in a few minutes
he was sound asleep.
He dreamed that he was being pulled along by an army of small
insects that resembled ants. It seemed to him that he was making every
effort to stop them, but he could not succeed. They dragged and rolled
him down a slope toward a frightful precipice, over which he must fall.
I even seemed as if they had entered his mouth by hundreds, busying
themselves in tearing out his tongue. It served him right, too, because
his tongue had made many false promises and caused everybody much
suffering."You will never tell any more lies!" the ants seemed to say.
Then the marionette awoke with a struggle and a cry of fear. His
dream was a reality. He was covered with ants. He brushed them off his
face, his arms, his legs, - in short, his whole body. They had tortured
him for four or five hours, and only the fact that he was made of very
hard wood had saved his life.
"Thanks to my strong constitution." thought the marionette, "I am as
good as new."
28. Pinocchio Is Carried Away In An Eggshell
PINOCCHIO now found himself in a dense growth of shrubbery which
made his progress difficult. He pushed on among the thorny plants. They
would have stopped any one but a wooden marionette. His clothes were
torn, to be sure, but he did not mind that.
"Soon I shall have a suit that will make me look like a price. Goods
of the best quality, and tailoring that has never been equaled! The
gold, the silver, and the diamonds must be found." And he went on at a
brisk gait as if he had been on the highway.
Trees, shrubs, underbrush, nothing else! The scene would have grown
tiresome had it not been for a swarm of butterflies of the most
beautiful and brilliant colors. They flew here and there, now letting
themselves be carried by the wind, now hovering about in search of the
flowers hidden in the thick foliage.From time to time a hare would run
between Pinocchio's feet, and after a few bounds would turn sharply
around to stare at him with curious eyes, as much as to say that a
marionette was a comical sight. Young monkeys peeped through the
leaves, laughed at him, and then scampered away.
Pinocchio walked along fearlessly, caring little for what went on
around him, and thinking only of the treasures for which he was
seeking.
On and on he walked until at length he found himself at the edge of
a vast plain. He gave a great sigh of relief. The long march through
the woods had tired him. However, he kept his eyes open, now and then
looking down at his feet to see if any precious stones were lying
about. Presently his attention was drawn to a great hole or nest, in
which he saw some white objects shaped like hen's eggs, but
considerably larger than his head.
Curious to see whether or not he could lift one, Pinocchio
approached the nest. Just then he heard a frightful noise behind him.
Turning quickly, the marionette saw a huge bird running toward him.
The next moment a powerful push sent him head over heels upon one of
the eggs! As he fell he heard a loud crash, and at almost the same
instant found himself carried through the air. What had befallen him?
Of course, the hole was the nest of an ostrich. Enraged at the sight
of the broken egg, the fierce bird had seized in its powerful beak that
part of the shell into which the unfortunate marionette had fallen, and
was now rushing across the plain with the swiftness of an express
train.
The marionette screamed in terror, and with the stick which he still
held in his hand rained blows upon the bird's long neck. But the blows
had no effect whatever. The furious creature ran and ran and ran.
Pinocchio, gasping for breath, was certain that his end was near.
The mad race lasted for hours. Suddenly the marionette was thrown
into a muddy pool, in which he sank up to his neck like a frog. Having
no desire to be suffocated in the mud, he raised his head a little,
although he did not try to climb out. What he saw surprised him beyond
measure.
29. Pinocchio Escapes Again
HIS ostrich was no longer alone. There stood another. The new
arrival, somewhat smaller, but uglier and even more ferocious than the
first, moved cautiously, ready for fight. Suddenly Pinocchio saw the
gleam of a knife, and an instant later the ostrich that had carried him
thus far fell to the ground, wounded to death. The marionette could not
understand how it was possible for a bird to carry a knife hidden
beneath its wings and to make use of it. Yet the thing had happened
right before his eyes; there was no doubt about it.
While seeking an explanation for his very strange incident, he saw
the victorious ostrich draw first one arm, then the other, from beneath
its feathers, and finally take off its beak and place it upon the
ground. The second ostrich was a man.
Pinocchio now began to understand what had happened, and to hate the
trickster who had put on the feathers of an ostrich, in order to attack
and kill the poor creature that lay there breathing its last.
The man approached the dying ostrich and tried to lift the huge bird
to his shoulders, but in spite of his great strength he failed. Then
looking about in search of help, he saw the marionette, whose head was
out of the water, and signaled to him to come ashore. Pinocchio would
have refused, but there was the knife lying on the ground, and there
was the man. He decided to obey.
He came out of the pond as best he could, and the ugly black man
began to laugh. He laughed and laughed until he was able to stand no
longer, and could only throw himself upon the ground, where he lay,
breathless and weak. The marionette, seeing this, said to himself: "If
I do not escape now, it will be my own fault. My dear legs, it is no
dishonor to run when you must!" and he went on at a gallop toward a
hill which could be seen a short distance away.
"May you die of laughing, you villain!" he cried as he ran.
Presently he was somewhat alarmed to discover that the man was
running after him. Feeling sure, however, that he could easily outrun
his pursuer, he halted a moment, as if waiting for him. The man was
hurrying on, thinking that the boy could go no farther, when the saucy
marionette, putting his hand to his mouth, shouted "Cuckoo!" Then at a
pace swifter than the wind he set off once more, pausing now and again
to call out, "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!"
Pinocchio had nearly reached the top of the hill, and the man was
halfway up, when a loud roar made them both stop. Turning around, they
saw that a lion was carrying off the dead ostrich. At that, the hunter
thrust his fingers into his curly hair, and without paying further
attention to the marionette, started off to regain the knife, which was
still lying where it had fallen.
"Tit for tat," Pinocchio shouted after him, and went on up the
hill.
30. Pinocchio Is Swallowed By A Crocodile
WHEN Pinocchio reached the top of the hill he looked around for a
place where he could rest. He thought of the lion that had carried off
the ostrich, and he did not like the idea of meeting him. Fortunately
there were no signs of life, but neither was there any place where he
could sit down in comfort. Sand and rocks, rocks and sand were
everywhere. In the distance he saw water.
"At any rate," he said, "I shall at least be able to wash myself;"
and he turned his footsteps toward the water.
He arrived before long at the water's edge. How fresh and clean it
was! He was so dusty and tired that there was only one thing to do,
take a bath! When Pinocchio decided upon a course of action he did not
hesitate. In an instant he was undressed.
As he started toward the water a voice cried, "Pinocchio!
Pinocchio!"
"Oh, let Pinocchio alone!" the marionette said, and leaped into the
air.
Horrors! As he came flying down, a green mass rose to the surface of
the river. It was a crocodile! Pinocchio saw it and shuddered, but
there was no time to cry out. Down, down he went into that open mouth!
But wooden marionettes are always fortunate. The crocodile's throat was
so wide that Pinocchio slipped into the stomach of the creature with
great ease. Not even a scratch! As he was accustomed to being under
water and inside the bodies of animals, he was not at all frightened.
In fact, when he noticed that he was being carried down to the bottom
of the river, where it was cool and refreshing, he uttered no word of
complaint, but rather enjoyed the experience.The crocodile crawled in
to a cave, and prepared to digest the marionette at its leisure.
Pinocchio was naturally annoyed at this and began to kick and squirm
about.
At first this did not seem to cause any ill effects, but Pinocchio
kicked and struggled until the poor reptile could not help wondering
what the trouble was, and began to twist and shake its whole body.
Pinocchio did not stop. Presently the crocodile decided to return to
the surface and deposit the marionette upon the bank. Pinocchio desired
nothing better. As soon as he saw a ray of light he became very quiet.
The crocodile, now that the trouble seemed over, was about to return to
its cave, but it had made this plan without consulting our wooden
marionette.
"Suppose I let the beast carry me a short distance! I can make it
throw me upon the bank later as well as now! It may carry me to some
place where - enough, I am going to try it! A green ship, without
sails, without engines, and without a crew, is not to be found every
day. Boo! boo! boo!" muttered the marionette.
The crocodile, frightened at the strange noises inside its body,
began to swim with all its strength. It swam and swam and swam! When it
slowed up the marionette continued, "Boo! boo! boo!" and the crocodile
went on faster than ever.
The poor creature became thoroughly exhausted, and fairly wept with
anger and fright, but the strange voice went on without ceasing.
At last, growing desperate, the crocodile stopped, opened its huge
jaws, and with a great effort sent the marionette flying through the
air to the bank of the river; then it disappeared in the deep water.
"Pleasant trip home! Remember me to everybody!" cried Pinocchio as
he leaped about joyously.
31. Pinocchio Is Made Emperor
FINDING himself without any clothes, the marionette began to think
of his condition. To go back and search for his suit was out of the
question. To go about in that state did not seem proper, although he
knew that the Africans in general were dressed in the same fashion.
Finally he decided to make himself a suit of leaves. There were some
beautiful ones near by that were just suited to the purpose. He knew
how to go to work, for at home he had often made clothes out of
shavings and twigs. He set about his task at once and in a short time
had made a garment that reached from his waist down to his knees. He
was busy selecting the leaves for a coat when he happened to raise his
eyes, and saw a crowd of men and women rushing about as if either very
happy or frantic with terror.
"Lunatics!" he murmured, and went on with his work, for he disliked
to be seen half-dressed. All at once the marionette heard a hissing,
humming sound. A cloud of arrows fell around him. He was amazed and
terrified, not by the arrows, for what harm could arrows do to him? -
but by the idea that this meant more trouble for Pinocchio.
"So long as they shoot, I fear nothing; but if they try to capture
me, I may have to jump into the river and take to my green ship."
The arrows continued to fall like hailstones on his shoulders, on
his breast, on his arms and legs; but of course they dropped to the
ground without doing any harm. The natives were astonished. They looked
at one another in blank surprise.
Pinocchio, weary of the game, turned in anger toward them and
shouted: "Give up shooting, stupid ones! Do you not see that you are
wasting your time?"They had already perceived that this was true, and
they stopped shooting. A group braver than the rest now approached the
marionette and surrounded him. One of them shouted, "Hoa! Hoi! Hoi!"
"Pinocchio!" answered the marionette.
"Yah! Yah! Yah!"
"Pinocchio!" the boy repeated. "Are you deaf?"
Then they began to shout in chorus: "Yah! Yah! Hoi! Hoi! Uff! Uff!
Uff!"
And Pinocchio replied: "Yah! Yah! Hoi! Hoi! Uff! Uff! Uff!
This conversation soon began to be wearisome, and Pinocchio tried to
escape. It was too late. The Africans, quick as a flash, closed in
about him and, seizing him by the legs, raised him from the ground,
shouting: "Long live our emperor, Pinocchio the First! Long live our
emperor, Pinocchio!"
Pinocchio had never dreamed of such a welcome.
"Long live Pinocchio!"
"Ah! at last! I knew that in Africa my greatness would be
recognized. Now I shall be revenged on you, my dear restaurant-keeper,
and on you, dear policemen, who wanted to arrest me. Old man, you who
wanted to sell me for a rhinoceros horn, now it is my turn!" Thus
thought Pinocchio.
This was his first triumph. Flocking like ravens, his African
subjects came to render homage to the new emperor, who was carried
aloft on willing shoulders. As he passed, all bowed to the ground and
then followed in his train. Such a multitude joined the procession that
it looked, from a distance, like a vast blot of ink. They went along
singing the praises of Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all the
African kings, sent from heaven to earth to replace the late emperor,
who had died the preceding day.
As they marched a great chorus chanted: "He was to come forth from
the mouth of a crocodile! He was to remain unharmed by poisoned arrows!
He was to have a wooden head! Long live our emperor, Pinocchio the
First! Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!"
"They shot poisoned arrows at me!" thought the marionette. "That is
the way they treated their future king. Lucky for me that I am made of
wood, very hard wood too! How fortunate that I came to Africa as a
marionette! If I had been a real boy, there would be little to say
about Pinocchio now."
32. His First Night As Emperor
PINOCCHIO, his heart filled with joy, entered the capital of his new
empire amid the shouts of the people who crowded the streets. The
children, rolling on the ground in glee, raised such a dust that one
could hardly see.
Forward, forward, they marched through the streets until the main
square was reached. The city was not a large city. Pinocchio was a
little disappointed. The houses were only huts plastered with mud. The
streets and even the main square were dirty.
"I will change all that," Pinocchio gravely said to himself. "I will
build a new city." To the marionette such a task appeared to be an easy
matter.
In a corner of the square stood a hut somewhat larger than the
others. This was the royal palace. Pinocchio was not pleased. The king
of all Africa should have something far better than this. However, he
thought it would not do, just at this time, to utter any words of
complaint.
In the huts about the palace lived the people of the court. These
were the advisers and the leaders, who stood ready to carry out the
commands of his majesty.
Like many another in such a situation, Pinocchio did nothing but bow
his head in agreement with everything that was said to him. This
greatly pleased the people of the court and gained for him their
admiration and applause. They called him Pinocchio the Wise!
Night came and all the people withdrew. The emperor was left alone
with his servant, a gigantic African, who invited his majesty to pass
into the royal bedchamber.
The furniture was as simple as the palace itself. A string,
stretched across the room, served as a clothes-hanger. The bed was a
leopard's skin that swung from four poles. Having displayed with pride
these equipments, the servant pointed to a frying pan, which was to be
struck with a wooden mallet in case his majesty desired to call the
attendants. He then withdrew from the chamber, bowing as he went out.
"Apparently they do not eat here," said the marionette. "Maybe these
people think that an emperor is never hungry! However, night passes
quickly." Then he undressed himself and lay down. He was quite tired
out, and he felt sure that in a few moments he should be fast asleep.
But soon he began to roll and toss about uneasily. The bed was hard and
uncomfortable. He opened his eyes. There was a spider crawling over
him, and he shivered. Other spiders, as large as crabs, were creeping
quietly over the ground and the walls as if this was their home and not
the king's!
There was one spider twice as large as the others. Surely he was the
head of that large family. He fixed his fiery eyes upon the marionette
and spoke in the voice of the Talking Cricket: "Where have you come
from - fool that you are? What do you think you have gained by
becoming the emperor of these people? Return to your home, and be
content to be a boy like the rest, and to learn a trade by which you
may help your father and be happy yourself."
Upon hearing these familiar words the marionette wanted to beat the
pan and call for help, but, he reflected, this would show that he
lacked courage and might lower him in the eyes of his subjects. So he
endured his fate, thinking: "A night soon passes. To-morrow night I
will have a sentinel on guard." And he drew himself up, mallet in hand,
ready to fight the spiders if they came too near him. All was still,
and Pinocchio tried a second time to close his eyes to sleep.
"Buzz! buzz! buzz!"
The place swarmed with flies.
"Zz! zz! Zeeee, zeeee, smm, zmmm!"
Out in the night frogs croaked, birds cried, wild animals howled.
"What a place to sleep in!" whined the poor emperor, flinging
himself about on his hard bed.
Then he thought of his own small cot, neat and clean, in which he
had so often peacefully slept and dreamed pleasant dreams. It will not
seem strange that Pinocchio wished that he were at home again, instead
of being a king in Africa.
Pinocchio the First, Emperor and King of all the African kings,
passed a very wretched night. He felt hot and feverish, and he was
afraid that he was going to die before morning came.
33. He Sends For The Royal Doctor
PINOCCHIO presently became very anxious about his health. He was
sure that the night's troubles had brought on a high fever, and this,
of course, would keep him from attending to affairs of state. At dawn,
therefore, Pinocchio the First rapped the pan and sent for the doctor
of the court. He was an old man, with a long white beard. Having
listened to the emperor's lament, the doctor drew out a string of beads
from his breast, threw them on the floor, and examined them closely,
all the time murmuring strange words. Then he began to count the beads.
At the end of a quarter of an hour he said that his royal majesty was
in excellent health and need not worry.
The marionette's rage knew no bounds, but it would not do to
complain at the very beginning of his career. He thanked the worthy
doctor therefore, and dismissed him with a polite nod of the head. Then
he again rapped furiously on the pan. There promptly appeared eight or
ten servants, who first knelt down at the foot of the imperial bed, and
then advancing with every sign of respect, raised his majesty gently,
and placed him upon a panther's skin that was stretched upon the
floor.Pinocchio allowed them to proceed, until they began to cover his
body with oil. At this, he asked why they anointed him in such a
manner.
"To make you clean, your majesty," answered the servants, very
respectfully.
"Fine cleaning!" thought the marionette. "How are my face and hands
to get washed this morning? Never mind. Let us see what comes next."
This first operation ended, Pinocchio the First was made to sit
cross-legged to have his hair combed. His attendants covered his hair
with a purple cream and then sprinkled over it a golden powder.
Pinocchio's joy upon seeing that glittering substance knew no
bounds, but he overheard one of the servants say in a melancholy
undertone: "What a pity his majesty has not a black complexion such as
we have! What a pity! What a pity!"
The marionette was moved to the bottom of his heart, and he was
about to say, "You may be sure, my dear subjects, I shall do the best I
can to become black," when he heard footsteps approach.
34. An Old Story
THE grand chamberlain was announced.
This grave person had come to inquire about his majesty's health,
and at the same time to notify him that the council had fixed the day
for the coronation.
Pinocchio the First listened and approved. The grand chamberlain,
very much pleased with his reception, made a deep bow, and was
apparently about to retire, when, as if he had forgotten something
important, he approached the emperor again and said with great respect,
"Your majesty, in the name of the council I must announce to you that
to-morrow the lessons begin."
"What lessons?" said the marionette, feeling a chill creep down his
back.
"Ah! I will explain," the chamberlain replied meekly. "The things
that your majesty must do to straighten out the affairs of state are
very simple. Only two words are needed, 'Yes' and 'No!' But to say
'Yes' or 'No' at the proper time requires at least one month of
instruction. To make sure that you learn, there will be, twice each
day, a punishment of ten lashes of the whip, to be given your majesty
on whatever part of the body you may desire. However, in view of the
present wisdom of your majesty, the council has agreed that the lessons
and the lashings may be delayed till the end of the month, if your
majesty so decides."
Pinocchio had listened gloomily until he heard the last words, and
then he came near laughing outright. He kept his face very serious,
however, and bowed his head as if in deep thought. After a long silence
he said, "I have decided to leave the lessons till the end of the
month."
The grand chamberlain made a profound bow and went out.
The servants went away also, and Pinocchio, finding himself alone,
jumped about in great glee.
"Compulsory fiddlesticks! What blockheads they were to think that I
was going to start to-day! At the end of the month, perhaps! There are
still thirty days, and in thirty days what may not happen!" And he
looked about quite satisfied with himself. He was sure that everything
would go well during his stay in Africa.
"If they sprinkled my hair with gold, they will fill my pockets with
money," he thought. And then to his surprise he found that the suit
they had put on him had no pockets.
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